Embrace the Night
by velvet in glasses
Summary: (Bella Gets Marked rewrite) Everything about their lives changed when they were Marked by the Tracker. Bella and her cousin are thrown into the world of the House of Night and must adjust to their new lives as fledglings, but it won't be easy. Together they need to decide who they can trust and who is against them as they walk down the path that the goddess set them on.
1. That Day

Disclaimer: The characters of the Twilight Saga do not belong to this author and neither do the characters from the House of Night series. This author only owns any OC featured in this fan fiction.

Author's Note: I have decided to re-write the story, Bella Gets Marked, simply because I think I have improved a lot and honestly, it could have been executed better. I tried to take on too much by synthesizing my own ideas with the chronological order of the books. There was so much wrong with the original fan fiction and I hope to correct it with this fan fiction.

1: That Day

"Bells?"

A pen stretched forward to press against the side of a girl who was absorbed with the doodles that filled the once empty pages of her notebook. Her dark, chocolate waves of hair tumbled from the top of her head and blocked the bored expression on her face. She was counting how much time left she had in the class as she added a new drawing to her page. The math test she had finished previously killed any brain cells she had left. From behind, the same girl who had poked the brunette with the pen decided to use a different tactic to get her friend's attention. With her index finger and her thumb, she used her secret weapon-a pinch.

"Ouch!" The brunette exclaimed, her cheeks burning crimson as she jumped in her seat. She revolved around in her desk to shoot a murderous glare at her best friend. "What the hell, Alice?!"

Alice only responded with the impish grin that revealed the fact that she was not sorry for the pinch. Her dark brown eyes were practically glowing with delight. "You weren't answering me so, I had to resort to my secret weapon. You brought it upon yourself."

Bella rolled her eyes, earning another sharp pinch from Alice. "Damnit, Alice! Cut it out!" Bella did her best to keep up a frustrated look on her face, but it gave way to the laughter that was dying to exit her mouth.

"So…Bells, are you going to your boyfriend's party tonight?"

Bella wished that Alice had not brought up the party. That was the last thing on her mind. Originally, she had planned on skipping the fiesta, but now that her friend had mentioned it—there was no getting out of it. The last party she went to was not the most memorable night of her life. She had spent most of her night hiding and out of public eye.

Out of nowhere, her cousin's familiar voice rung out. "Isabella!"

"Nora, please keep your voice down," Bella chided, turning in her seat to face her energetic relative. Nora quickly apologized before she took the spot next to Bella. Nora greeted her cousin's best friend with a wave. She reached across the table to grab Bella's notebook, flipping through it.

"Bella, I was wondering if you could let me borrow your boots. You know, the knee-high, black ones?"

"My boots? For what?"

"For Edward's party, duh," Nora responded, slapping the notebook back down onto the table.

Bella groaned. "Sure, you can use them, I guess." Bella had secretly hoped that her cousin would drop the party idea if she distracted her with the boots.

Nora's green eyes widened as excitement pooled into them. "You, Bella, are my favorite cousin."

Bella sent a grin her way, but she could not push down the troubling feeling that was harboring inside of her. It was practically sending chills down her spine. She shifted nervously in her seat as she toyed with the pen in her hand.

After the class ended and the students filled the hallways, Bella followed behind Alice, who skipped ahead. Alice was already gone when Bella stopped by her locker to stash her books away. That was when she discovered that she was not alone by her locker. Reclining against the cool, blue metal of the lockers was no one other than her boyfriend. Ever since Edward's last party, things between the couple had started to dissipate. They had begun to drift apart; it could not be helped. When the time was right, they would need to break off their relationship. She reminded herself not to get lost in his emerald green eyes like she did the first time they had begun dating. Every time her eyes locked with his, she felt like he was compelling her.

With one last reassuring breath, she approached Edward. "Hi."

"Want to grab some lunch off campus?" Edward asked.

Bella shook her head, offering her boyfriend an apologetic smile. "Not today. I have to meet up with Nora."

Edward nodded his head, understanding. He leaned towards his girlfriend and before she could back away from him, he covered her lips with his and kissed her. Bella had almost forgotten what a great kisser he was. Every time he kissed her, she felt as if she were on cloud nine. Edward broke the kiss with his girlfriend, told her he would meet up with her later, and then left her alone. Once Edward was gone, Bella noticed that she was the last person in the hallway. When lunch rolled around, people had a habit of disappearing from the hallways, which left them hauntingly empty. Bella had finished up her business at her locker when she was accompanied by the presence of a stranger. The stranger's face was otherworldly. His entire presence assaulted Bella with a sense of mystery. She had recognized him as one of _them_. Technically, he was classified as the undead. As he closed the distance that separated them, Bella was seized immediately. Her brain was no longer in contact with her legs. Everything was telling her to get moving, but she found herself rooted in her spot. A single finger reached out to catch Bella under her chin as the man tilted her head up to meet his gaze. Using his free hand, the male's fleshy fingertip met with Bella's forehead.

"Isabella Swan! Night has chosen thee; thy death will be thy birth. Night calls to thee, hearken to her sweet voice. Your destiny awaits you at the House of Night."

The last thing she remembered before a scorching pain enveloped her was the Tracker's intricate mark that framed his crystal, blue eyes like a Venetian mask. She was not sure if she was hallucinating or not, but she could have sworn that her cousin's shocked face was in the background

Nora could not believe what she witnessed and what she and her cousin were apart of. Of all the scenarios that she had in her head, becoming a member of the undead was not one of them. Nora was at lunch with Alice and others, before she decided to check on her cousin. Perfect timing on her part. The Tracker Marked Bella and not long after he Marked her, the Tracker bestowed the Mark on her as well. Since she woke up, Nora found herself staring at the blatant crescent that was now on her forehead. There was no hiding it. Bella had regained consciousness not long after Nora had. Although she was freaking out inside, she knew that she would need to calm Nora, before she alerted the whole school.

"Bella, this has to be a mistake. Why us? What the hell did we do to deserve to be labeled as freaks?" Nora was fuming. She paced the empty area of the bathroom while she furiously ran her fingers through her thick, black locks of hair.

Bella grabbed her cousin by her shoulders and forced her to take several calming breaths. "Nora, chill. You're unraveling."

When Nora glanced up at Bella, her eyes were wet as tears rolled from her eyes and down her cheeks. Bella tugged her cousin closer and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tight. "We'll get through this."

"But Bella, what if we don't-"

Bella knew what her cousin was going to say. She shook a dismissive head at her and smiled reassuringly. "We'll make it. Both of us."

After Bella backed out of the hug and helped Nora fix her make-up, they were about to leave the bathroom, but Nora caught her cousin's arm.

"Wait, one more thing, Bella. We need to hide the Marks, before anyone else sees it," Nora implored.

Bella seemed to agree with her cousin, because she began searching Nora's make-up kit for concealer for them both. Fifteen minutes later, they emerged from the bathroom. Lunch was almost over and they needed to leave while everyone was still eating. They both climbed into Nora's silver Prius and it did not take them long to put the school in the rearview mirror. The ride home was a silent one, neither cousin saying a word to the other. Their life was about to change and they were giving up everything they knew for a life that they did not sign up for. The familiar sight of the white farmhouse greeted them as the Prius bounced along the uneven sediment. The two-story complex radiated a welcoming aura that washed over them both. It was as if it was erasing the troubles from their minds. Since Nora could remember, the farmhouse was the one place that she could call home. Nora had moved in with her cousin, Bella, when she was ten and since then, the farmhouse had become the idyllic image of home.

On the front porch of the home, Bella's mother was seated in a rocking chair. In her hands was an old copy of _The Awakening_. Her blue eyes never moved from the pages inside the book, which allowed the cousins a chance to reach the door, before they were faced with the inquisition that was bound to come. Renée Swan was an average sized woman, who was employed at the local elementary school. Contrary to what Bella protested, she was the spitting image of her mother. The only thing that was different between the two was Renée's blue eyes. Hearing the sound of the floor panels creaking under their shoes, Renée set her book aside and glanced up at her daughter and niece. Renée checked her watch then, stood up from her chair.

"Isabella, Nora, what are you two doing here so early? You're not supposed to be home until three," Renée demanded.

Bella glanced over to her cousin. "Nora wasn't feeling well and I wanted to make sure she was okay."

Nora's flushed face helped sell the story that Bella supplied. Renée let out an exasperated sigh, before she pressed her pale hand against Nora's forehead. Nora silently prayed that the concealer wouldn't smudge from the interaction.

"You are feeling a little warm," she commented. Renée removed her hand then, picked up her book from the coffee table near the rocking chair. "I'll make you some tea."

Bella waved at her mother reassuringly, draping an arm around her cousin. "Actually, Mom, I'll take care of her. You can finish your book." Before her mother got the chance to protest, Bella guided her cousin through the door and quickly headed upstairs to Bella's bedroom. Bella closed the door behind them, abruptly locking the door. She rested against the solid, mahogany door, concentrating on the ceiling.

Nora climbed onto Bella's bed and rested on her stomach, her chin digging into her forearms. "When are you going to let your mom know about us getting Marked?"

"_We_ need to tell her soon. Especially since we're supposed to repot to the House of Night," Bella answered.

Nora sat up on Bella's bed, tugging at the flare of her dark-washed jeans as she thought out loud. "What do you think they'll say about us?"

Bella left her spot by the door and joined her cousin on the bed. "You know what they'll say. They think vampyres are freaks. Monsters. You remember the last kid to get Marked."

The last kid that was visited by the Tracker and received the Mark was freaked. Nora remembered the shocked expression on his face. He looked so scared and alone. The kids that were in the hallway began to back away from him, even the kids that were his friends. At school, if you were to become Marked; it was a curse. The people who were once known as friends would abandon them.

By the time the sun was ready to set, Bella had decided to take a shower. Nora had fallen asleep on Bella's bed a few hours ago and since then, hadn't moved an inch. The water from the shower had erased all traces of the concealer that hid the permanent mark on her forehead. Bella was stuck in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to register the stranger that looked back at her. She hadn't physically changed, but something about the new tattoo transformed her.

When she emerged from the bathroom in her green pajama bottoms and oversized t-shirt, Bella was face-to-face with her best friend. Her features contorted into an expression that was unrecognizable. The way Alice's eyes honed in on the crescent said it all. Alice was no longer her friend. Her delicate hands covered her mouth. "No…this has got to be a joke. You're not one of them. You can't be."

Bella took a timid step towards Alice, gauging her reaction to her movement. Alice immediately retraced her steps from the door. "Alice, please. I'm still the same me. The same Bella you went to kindergarten with."

Alice denied Bella's words. "Don't…just don't." Bella watched as the girl she called her best friend for years leave. Of all people to abandon her, it was Alice.

"Bella?" Nora had woken up in the middle of the conversation and she couldn't help, but feel sorry for her cousin. She knew how much Alice meant to Bella and Alice's reaction to Bella's Mark was not the best way to end a day. Bella silently crossed the room to produce a large suitcase from her closet. Nora immediately sat up straight in bed, eyeing her cousin curiously.

"We're leaving tonight."

**a/n: What do you think guys? Please leave me feedback, I would really appreciate it. I will post the second chapter soon, maybe on Sunday. I will release it ****earlier**** depending on the feedback I get on this chapter. **


	2. New Home

Disclaimer: The characters of the Twilight Saga do not belong to this author and neither do the characters from the House of Night series. This author only owns any OC featured in this fan fiction.

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who added my story to their favorites, watched it, and I want to give a special thank you to my first reviewer, Sakurayuuki19. I hope I can get more reviewers after this chapter.

2: New Home

Bella had to admit that having her cousin with her made things better. Getting Marked by the Tracker had made the worst-day-ever list at first, but as of now, it was not as bad as she previously thought. Nora had allowed her to drive the car to the House of Night, which gave her time to process her thoughts. The road towards the campus was unfamiliar to the fledgling, but she managed to find her way to their new home. Nora straightened her posture in the passenger seat as she watched the world she knew disappear. The House of Night was completely in its own world—a world she and her cousin were apart of. Once the car was parked, the cousins stepped out of the silver vehicle and gathered their belongings, before they proceeded forward. Nora craned her head in every direction, her mass of hair following her.

"Nora, you really should watch where you're going before you—"

Her cousin was unable to get her warning out. Within seconds of her unfinished advice, Nora tripped over her own two feet and landed at the feet of someone. However, a hand shot out to catch Nora by her arm, which prevented her face from colliding with the pavement. Bella released the breath she was holding, thanking the goddess that her cousin did not end up with an injury on her first day at a new place.

When Nora lifted her head, her eyes locked with the pristine blue eyes of a handsome boy. She had never seen someone who looked as beautiful as him before. He had to be a full-fledged vampyre. Unlike her, the boy's crescent was filled in and it framed his eyes in a way that was reminiscent of the Tracker's. The boy helped Nora stand correctly and flashed her with a grin that sent her into shock.

"You okay, there?" Erik Night questioned the girl in front of him. She was kind of cute in his opinion, with her cool green eyes and full, pink lips. Despite the appearance of her dainty hand, she had a strong grip on his bicep as she used it to steady herself.

Nora managed a nod in his direction and took a step back, releasing his arm in the process. "Yes, thanks for the save…."

"Erik. Erik Night," he supplied. "And you are?"

Nora lifted her hand to address herself and then gestured to Bella, who was nervously biting her lip to distract herself from looking directly into the eyes of the boy not even ten feet from her. "I'm Nora and this is my cousin, Bella."

Once Erik made eye contact with Bella, he could not break the trance that had a powerful hold over him. Her brown eyes reminded him of an innocent doe, who had found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. The blood that had rushed to her cheeks allowed color to contrast against her paled skin. He wanted nothing more than to be close to her, but he reminded himself that he was currently dating Zoey. Zoey was the girl he was head-over-heels in love with. She was everything that he could ever want: smart, gorgeous, and funny. Even though she was known as a powerful fledgling with a great destiny, it did not hinder his affection for her.

Erik cleared his throat, feeling that he had gone long enough without a proper introduction. He stuck out a friendly hand. "Nice to meet you, Bella."

Bella could feel the electricity that danced between her hand and his. The attraction was practically tangible. Standing in the presence of the tall, god-like boy had her heart racing. "Same to you, Erik."

After Erik and Bella ended their handshake, Erik folded his arms over his chest as he looked over the cousins. "Do you girls need a guide?"

"That would be great!" Nora answered enthusiastically for the both of them. Erik laughed under his breath, before he helped the girls with their bags and then, began leading them towards the entrance of the building.

Erik had told Nora and Bella that they needed to speak with the High Priestess of the school, before they were assigned their rooms and given their schedules. Nora was trembling at her cousin's side, but Bella insisted that Nora needed to inhale and exhale properly to calm her nerves. When Bella's words were doing little to help, Erik interjected and decided that he should help stress Bella's advice to Nora. Apparently, Erik was the last push that Nora needed to calm down.

Coming from an entrance in the corridor was a woman, but she wasn't just any woman. Her presence alone radiated her strength as well as her beauty. If looks had the ability to kill, she definitely would leave a trail of massacres in her wake. Mossy green eyes and thick,long auburn hair brought life to her pale face. Endless curves were wrapped in the black fabric of her dress. When the vampyre woman saw Bella and Nora, her eyes lit up and she sent them her best smile.

"Erik, thanks for helping our newest fledglings find their way," Neferet said to Erik. Erik folded his arm across his chest and rested his hand over his heart, before he left the cousins alone with the High Priestess.

"Merry meet, ladies. I'm Neferet, High Priestess of the House of Night."

"Hi...I'm Bella," Bella introduced herself first. She gestured to the area around them. "Your campus is breathtaking."

"Thank you, Bella. And you are?" Neferet addressed the question to Nora.  
Nora could not believe that she was standing in the same room with the woman in front of her. Neferet was everything. She had the confidence of a lion, the beauty of an angel, and not to mention that she was tall. Inferior did not seem to cover how Nora was feeling at the moment. She mustered up a smile before she relayed her name to Neferet.

"As new arrivals to the school, you are given the opportunity to change your names as you so wish," the High Priestess informed them.

Nora and Bella exchanged looks as if they were debating the idea. Bella spoke up first.

"Bella Swan," she supplied. Granted it wasn't the biggest change in her name, but it was better than being known as Isabella Swan.

Nora shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I guess I would like to be known as Nora Rhodes."

Neferet produced two slips of paper that had numbers printed on them and a key, which dangled from the end of the slip. She handed each girl a slip of paper before telling them that the number on the paper was their room number. Two fledglings were talking to each other as they descended down the hallway. They were about to continue pass Bella, Nora, and Neferet,but stopped when Neferet called them out.

"Yes, Neferet?" The brunette fledgling looked from the High Priestess to Nora and Bella, who both had the same look of confusion on their faces.

"Do you two mind showing Bella and Nora to their rooms?"

"Sure. I'll show Bella to hers and Andrea will show Nora to hers," the brunette said with a smile. She began to proceed down the corridor with Bella at her side. Bella shouted back to Nora that she would catch up with her later.

Bella was halfway to the room when she noticed that Farrah, the brunette that was helping her find the dorm, was no longer smiling. Her lips turned over into a frown and her eyebrows dropped as they narrowed. Bella followed her gaze and noticed that Farrah's disgusted face was directed towards another fledgling coming their way. Out of the shadows, Bella saw that the fledgling couldn't have been a fledgling. This girl's Mark wasn't like the other fledglings, it was completely filled in and it was joined by intricate tattoos over her forehead. She smiled at Bella, avoiding the distasteful looks she was getting from Farrah. After the girl passed by, Bella turned to Farrah.

"Who was that?" Bella questioned.

Farrah shook her head dismissively at Bella, catching Bella by her shoulders. "Bella, I know that I don't you, but avoid her."

Farrah did not evaluate any more past that point, before she left Bella alone at her door. After she opened the door of her new dorm and found a pair of golden eyes watching her. A Calico cat jumped from one of the beds and onto the floor, approaching Bella. It gently prodded her leg with its fuzzy head. With a timid hand, Bella stretched her hand towards the little cat and scratched the cat behind its ears. Bella smiled when she heard the soft purring of the cat.

Later that night, after Nora was settled into her new dorm, she decided to explore the rest of the campus. To her, everything looked the same and she was sure that she was lost, but it was fine with her. As she walked down the long hallway, her green eyes were focused on the pages of the book in her hands. Her book robbed her of the focus she needed to see where she was heading and accidentally found herself colliding into the body of someone else. Nora fell backwards, book and all. Bringing her head up, she was greeted by the face of Erik. He didn't look like the same guy she met earlier. It was like a strange, dark force had contorted his beautiful face. Nora slowly climbed to her feet so that she was somewhat level with him.

"Erik...?" She did not need to say more past the point. Emotions rushed over her like a wave, nearly knocking her back onto her butt.

"Nora, sorry, I didn't see you there. I was just, uh, on my way somewhere...anywhere, really."

This side of Erik that was in front of Nora was definitely different from the one that she and Bella had met earlier. He appeared to be off balance. Nora tentatively placed her hand on Erik's shoulder, concern filling her eyes. "You can tell me what's bothering you."

"Thanks, Nora, but I don't want to involve you in this. It would better if you-"

Nora interrupted him. "Erik, honestly, I have nothing better to do. We can just take a walk and talk. Not necessarily about what's bothering you, but about anything."

Erik smiled at that, satisfied with Nora's proposition. He nodded his head at her and lead her outside.

Bella desperately needed to find her cousin, but she was having a hard time locating Nora's dorm. The only information she had was the destination, but the real trouble was finding the way to get to the dorm. The journey to finding her cousin's dorm was interrupted when she spotted a group of fledglings. Bella waved her arm as she shouted to them, hurrying to catch up with them before they left. When they stopped, Bella mentally cheered.

"I'm trying to find my cousin's dorm," Bella said to them out of breath. "I have the number, but I'm slightly lost."

A boy with short, brown hair and eyes to match stepped forward. The others urged him to hurry, before they disappeared out the door. Bella handed him the slip and he automatically recognized the number. He simplified the directions for her and thankfully she was able to understand them. "Sorry for holding you up."

"Don't worry about it. I'm happy to help. I'm Damien Maslin, by the way."

"Thanks again. I'm Bella, it's nice to meet you, Damien."

"Mind if I tag along with you?"

Damien rubbed the back of his neck. "Bella, I-"

Someone outside called Damien's name. Damien was out the hallway and out the door in the next minute with Bella at his heels.

Outside, the night air was cool and inviting. The wind tickled Bella's cheeks as she followed behind Damien. She had no idea where Damien was heading, but it was better to be around someone that wander the empty hallways. The leaves in the trees trembled with each aching touch of the wind against them. In the highest point of the sky, the moon was solitary, glowing brightly and illuminating the path. Damien came to a stop when he caught up with the others. Erin was standing near her Twin, Shaunee, as they both did their best to calm down the girl that was huddled together on the grass. When the girl lifted her head, Bella recognized her as Zoey-the one Farrah warned her about. Bella furrowed her eyebrows. Zoey's face was puffy, her eyes rimmed with red from crying. Damien took the job the Twins and began consoling Zoey.

"Zoey, what's wrong? You can tell us. We're here for you," Damien said to her softly as he rubbed her back.

"It kills me to say this, but Aphrodite was right. You look like shit, Zo," Shaunee said with a solemn shake of her head.

Erin went through her purse and produced a pack of tissues. She gathered a few in her hand then handed them to Zoey.

"Thanks, Erin," Zoey muttered. She blew into the tissue. "Guys, I'm-" Zoey didn't get a chance to get the words out, because the tears won out and she continued to ball.

Bella wished that she could help Zoey out. Even though she did not know her and despite Farrah's warning, Zoey needed a friend. She had enough around her, but one more kind face couldn't hurt.

Breaking Zoey's crying was the sound of a perky voice and coming from another building were three distinct shapes. One girl that Bella guessed was her cousin, Erik, and a boy that she didn't know. Bella broke away from the others and went over to her cousin, greeting her with a hug. "I was going to come look for you. Good thing I didn't."

Nora sent her an apologetic look. "Sorry, Bells. I was talking with Erik the whole time and met up with one of his friends, Jack." Nora had the biggest smile on her face when she threw her arms around the small boy. "This little cutie is Jack."

"Hi, Jack. I'm Bella," Bella greeted the boy. Bella was going to say hi to Erik, but his attention was on someone else. Those blue eyes that Bella was fascinated with were sparking up in the night sky. Bella glanced over her shoulder to find that they were centered on Zoey's huddled form.

Damien glanced up to find that his boyfriend and Erik had arrived. He rubbed Zoey's shoulder to get her to look up. "We're all here now, honey. C'mon, tell us what's bothering you."

Erik let a smirk grow on his lips. "Yeah, honey, why don't you tell everyone what's wrong or shall I?"

Nora slowly walked up behind Erik. She wanted to know where he was going with this. She had coaxed him into telling her what was eating him and he had let off steam about what had transpired between him and Zoey. He had her his end of the story, but she was anxious to hear Zoey's. The way he talked about her was blocked with rage and betrayal, but somehow, Nora knew that love was hiding underneath his bitter feelings.

The male vampyre addressed everyone when he continued to speak to the group. "Our Z has been fucking Loren Blake behind our backs. While we thought she was torn up from witnessing my Change, she was really sucking his blood and riding Blake like a horse."

Nora winced from his words. If there was a bad way to ease that kind of news onto people, Erik outdid it.

Bella wished she could have unheard all of Erik's words. She hadn't known that Erik was capable of that kind of cruelty. Of course she didn't know Bella that well nor did she know anyone else, but Bella knew that no one deserved the treatment Zoey was receiving. One-by-one, Bella watched as the friends that circled Zoey began to distance themselves as they registered the shocking news that Erik had just delivered them. All except for Aphrodite seemed to be shaken up from the discovery.

"What!" The Twins shouted in unison. Both of their eyes darting between Zoey and Erik as if they were searching for the real truth.

"Impossible," Damien said as if he started to move his arm from around Zoey.

"Nu-uh," Jack sputtered. Nora's arms tightened around Jack as if she were trying to shield him from the horrible scene.

The Twins accused Zoey of laughing at them and she denied it, but they weren't letting up on her. She insisted that all of her intentions were never bad and she never used them, even though they were convinced that she did.

"Yeah, your word is something we can trust these days," Erik said wryly with a roll of his eyes. "She is a lying slut and she used all of us, just like she used me."

Nora was not sure about what came over her in that instant, but what she was going to do justified her actions. She stalked over to Erik and measured up to him until she was close enough to level out with his height. Erik had a good height on him, but Nora knew she could hold her own against Erik. She lifted her hand into the air and when she brought it down, it came down fast and hard against his cheek. Erik cupped his cheek with his hand from the sting of the slap. His blue eyes were widened from the shock of the slap, but they slowly transformed when they narrowed.

"What the hell, Nora?!" He demanded.

"Erik, I've talked to you long enough to know that you're seriously out of line right now. You're not yourself. I'm being a friend when this, but you're being a complete asshole right now." Nora set her hands on her hips.

Bella was blown away from her cousin's reaction. She was so proud of her.  
Erik turned his head, glancing away from Nora. He looked at Zoey one more time, before he walked off.

"I never knew you could hold in so much anger," Jack murmured, glancing up at Nora.

Nora smiled mildly at him and then, glanced at her cousin. "I'm going to check on Erik. Make sure Zoey is okay, Bells."

Zoey was left alone, except for Bella. Bella was worried about not making friends when she first arrived to the House of Night and here she was, in the middle of this crumbling friendship that was far too complicated to handle. Bella did not want to be the only person comforting Zoey, but she had no choice and no one else was around to assist her. Bella plopped down on the spot of grass next to Zoey. She draped a single arm around her, trying to make the interaction less awkward for the both of them.

"I'm sorry about what happened between you and the others, Zoey," Bella said to Zoey quietly.

Zoey gratefully smiled at the new girl. She was happy to have someone who didn't hate her be with her. "Thanks for being here."

With Erik, Nora knew that it would take a thousand apologies to make up for slapping him. "Erik, I didn't mean to slap you like that. I just wanted-"

He held up a hand to stop her from rambling. "Nora, chill. I understand."

"Did you have to be so hard on her? You really didn't need to break the news to everyone like that."

Erik ran his hand down his face, laughter shaking his chest as he let out the loudest laugh. Nora wondered if he was losing his mind.

"I was falling for her, Nora. I fell hard fast and now I crashed."

Nora wanted to suggest that things would get better if he let the events run their course, but decided against it. Instead, she smiled at him. "Nothing is set in stone, Erik. I know that everything will be better...soon."

He scooped Nora's tiny frame into his arms and hugged her until she was crying out for air. "I'm glad to have met you, Nora."

Once she was on her feet, Nora punched his shoulder playfully. "What are friends for?"

Author's Note: So how do you like this chapter? Let me know in your review! Next chapter is getting revised right now and I hope to get it to you all soon!


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